Best place to live for a Coraopolis commute (Pittsburgh, Lebanon: real estate, buying a house)

[joannagraham77]

Apologies in advance for yet another relo question on the board, but I've done some searching and don't see anything on this specific theme. Here goes:

My husband will commute to Coraopolis for work. I will work from home. We're relocating from Houston with a 2 and a 4 year old. We're moving in August of this year. We're actually headed up next weekend to just try to get a sense of the area (and TIPS on what to do/where to go greatly appreciated)

Here's the wish list:

- Within 20-30 minutes of Coraopolis so my husband can get home quickly!
- Great school district (I've seen the post on school rankings which is great, but when looking at a map I can't tell what's really close).
- Top budget of $550K, but would LOVE to be under $400.
- Looking for a larger home (say 4 -5 bedrooms, 3 car garage) since we expect family to be with us continuously. I think every house has a basement so I assume this is standard (WAHOO!!)
- Some trees and a nice yard (In Houston we've lived more 'in town' so a yard would be a very nice thing!)
- Not opposed to the Mcmansion though not seeking it exclusively. Again, in Houston we had a house built in the 1930's and our 'new' house was built in 1950. Both were full scale remodels that we did and that's where our hearts are. That being said, we're reluctant to do that this time since we'll be new to town and with kiddos etc. etc.
- Would love some shopping in the area

Here's the challenges:
- I've been all over the net trying to check out house and am realizing that there isn't a HAR.com equivalent (all of our Houston listings are in one website)
-With all of the townships and counties etc I can't tell if I am really looking at all of the houses in a specific area. We'll get a real estate agent through my husband's relo package but I am of course hoping to get some ideas initially and also hear from people that are local and don't have to sugarcoat...

Thanks in advance for your experienced opinions!!

[SlurmsMcKenzie]

A few options:

If you'd like an older home in an established community, I'd suggest somewhere along the north shore of the Ohio River. Sewickley would be be my first suggestion. It is a great small town with high quality schools and a very short commute to Coraopolis. You could also look at a place within the Avonworth school district in the towns of Ben Avon or Emsworth. The commute would be longer but probably still within 15 minutes.

If looking for a newer home and/or a larger lot, I'd suggest somewhere in Moon Township. I can't speak for the school district but it is a nice area and would again be a very easy commute.

[gg]

I would start your search in Sewickley.

[I_Like_Spam]

The West Allegheny School District is very large geographically, but mostly within 20 minutes of Coraopolis.

Lots of new construction in recent years out that way in Findlay and North Fayette townships.

$400k is certainly enough to get the large home with a nice lot in those areas.

[Hopes]

Peter's Township.

Don't overbuy! 400k can buy a HUGE house in Pittsburgh. You need to understand our property tax structure and utilitie costs before you set a housing budget.

Instead, I recommend buying a house based on square footage.

People relocating here from other regions often spend WAY TOO MUCH on housing---buying bigger than they owned eleswhere---without taking into consideration additional costs associated with cheaper housing. That might not be a problem coming from Houston, since Houston housing is relatively cheap too, but just make sure you understand our property tax structure and utility costs too.

Property tax on a 400k house is going to be well over 10k per year in Allegheny County.

That's why I'm recommending Peter's Township. It's in Washington County. Tax on a 400k house will be under 10k.

[SlurmsMcKenzie]

I'm not sure if one could commute from Peters to Coraopolis in 30 minutes.

[Bong477]

Sewickley, Wexford (most specifically Franklin Park), and Moon are where I'd start. Mt Lebanon and Upper St. Clair will push close to the 30 minute mark but are good options too. The relationship (or lack thereof) of naming/boundaries/school districts/zip codes is a little confusing for a variety of reasons and you probably need an agent to help sort through this.

Price range should be good for what you are looking for, make sure you account for property taxes in that budget though.

Sewickley and Mt. Lebo will be older neighborhoods with some charm and character and walkable business districts. The others are more of your standard (nice) American suburb.

Most of the real estate sites will give you all the area MLS listings, not just their company's. Try pittsburghmoves.com (Coldwell Banker) or Howard Hanna. Trulia and Zillow are good as well.

[Bong477]

Originally Posted by trlstreet

I'm not sure if one could commute from Peters to Coraopolis in 30 minutes.

It would be about 40-45 minutes. Otherwise, its a good suggestion.

Also, 400k doesn't buy quite as much as some seem to think. But its true you may not need to spend that much to get what you are looking for.

[SlurmsMcKenzie]

Also should throw the South Fayette school district out there. It would fall within a 30 minute commute up 79 and is another top school district in our region.

[Hopes]

Well, we should try to provide options outside of Allegheny County to help with the tax issue.

Pennsylvania property taxes ae a big deal for people coming from other areas of the country.

Is there anything as good as Peters that's 10 to 15 minutes closer?

I personally would drive an extra 10 minutes to be in the right place.